Fluorescence Techniques - Microfluidics

In our lab, we are working on the development of ultrasensitive and single molecule fluorescence techniques. Some methods like FCS and single pair FRET on a confocal setup and TIRF measurements are well established in our lab. These techniques allow us, for example, to have a closer look on protein folding and learn more about their kinetics and dynamics. But all these methods are limited, so we can only measure in equilibrium and get a snapshot of the behavior of the proteins. Microfluidic opens a new dimension for these types of experiments that one can perform. This technique allows us to mix different solutions during the measurement, so that we can have a closer look at the folding/unfolding dynamics of a protein or do binding studies of ATP.

Recommended literature:

• Lipmann EA, et al. (2003) Single-Molecule Measurements of Protein Folding Kinetics. Science 301: 1233-1235
• Hofmann H, et al. (2010) Single-molecule spectroscopy of protein folding in a chaperonin cage. PNAS 107: 11793-11798
• Lemke EA, et al. (2009) Microfluidic Device for Single-Molecule Experiments with Enhanced Photostability. JACS 131: 13610-13612